The Gut Brain Axis (3D) Flashcards
What is the gut brain axis?
A bidirectional communication link between the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system.
What is the enteric nervous system?
A subdivision of the autonomic nervous system that is a network of nerves in the gut.
What is the gut?
The gastrointestinal tract that is the long tube from the mouth to anus involved in digestion.
What is the vagus nerve?
It connects the brain and organs within the autonomic nervous system to allow bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain.
90% of this communication is afferent (from the gut to the brain).
What is the gut microbiota?
Our gut contains more than 1000 microbe species which digest our food and are involved in the production of neurochemicals in the gut.
What is the gut microbiome?
All the genes of microorganisms that live in the gut of the population of microbiota. If the microbiome is a house, the microbiota and the people who live there, but there’s still other things in that house such as furniture.
What can gut dysbiosis lead to?
Unbalanced gut microbiome has been linked to depression and anxiety.
What can cause gut dysbiosis?
Stress can cause changes in the gut microbiota.
What treatments can be used to promote healthy gut-brain interactions?
Probiotics
Diet
Faecal microbiotal transplants
